On 3 March, a day after his 77th birthday, the ailing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika registered his candidacy for next month’s elections.

Mr Bouteflika, who spent much of last year in hospital following a stroke, is aiming for a fourth term that would stretch his rule over 20 years. The frail-looking president did not waste much time explaining his move. “I am here to register according to electoral law,” he told state television as he signed a document at the Constitutional Council. (CONTINUED - 1879 WORDS)